University seeks mediation in contract negotiations

Tuesday

Sep 26, 2017 at 6:17 AM

Michelle Langhout, Staff Reporter

Note: Story contains updated information from Western Illinois University administration not originally appearing in the print edition.

MACOMB — University administration have requested a mediator in their contract negotiations with University Professionals of Illinois (UPI) Local 4100 as they approach the one-year mark since negotiations began.The university announced to the university community via a Sept. 19 news release that it was seeking a mediator to assist in negotiations which began in October 2016 for a 60-month (five-year) contract. UPI represents 612 WIU faculty and professional staff. According to WIU Contract Administrator and Associate Provost Russ Morgan, the university is seeking mediation because it felt the parties had not “made satisfactory progress or an agreement on substantive provisions” in the contract after 10 months of discussion.Members of the administration had informed UPI during negotiations earlier this month that they were considering mediation. About a week later, the administration's lead negotiator contacted UPI's lead negotiator to ask if UPI wanted to file a joint request for mediation. UPI declined.“We talked about this among the (UPI negotiation) team, and we decided that first of all, we did not seek mediation; they made the request,” UPI Local 4100 Chapter President Bill Thompson said. “We still feel that there are things that we can talk about. In other words, we don’t think that we’re at a point where mediation is — from our point of view — necessary. So therefore we said we want the historical record to reflect the reality at the table, which is that (the administration) requested mediation, so go ahead: request it. And we’re happy to meet youat mediation and hopefully we will find a mutually agreeable conclusion to our conversations. There were still things to be discussed. For example, grievance language, layoff language. So we felt that we were not done.”While both parties have agreed on some of the non-economic terms in the proposals, the economic-related terms are still points of disagreement. At issue are proposed salary cuts and proposed furloughs, elevated course loads, travel reimbursement changes, structural changes to cost-of-living increases called minima, and changes to promotional criteria and processes, among others. Some of the main terms the administration has proposed include:• A 3 percent cut to base salary that would apply for the duration of the new contract, beginning in FY19. UPI members have been operating with a 3 percent salary reduction since July 1, 2016 on a temporary basis that ends with the fiscal year in June, according to a memorandum of agreement.• Beginning FY18, employees could be required to take up to eight furlough days per year.• Beginning FY19, the elimination of regular cost-of-living increases, called minima, which would be replaced with a promotional system that provides $1,000/month for Unit A employees and $400/month for Unit B employees after six and 11 years.• Beginning FY19, eliminate compensation for travel for distance delivered courses.

Morgan provided a rationale for the university's proposal. Citing the two-year state budget impasse, he said that the appropriation received since the budget passed is only 90 percent of the FY15 state appropriation. He also pointed out that not receiving appropriations for two years required WIU to use its reserve funds, which he described as “depleted.”“It is also likely payments from the state will be delayed in light of the backlog of pending bills,” he said. “It is going to take a great deal of effort and time to overcome the negative effects of the budget impasse.”He also said a budget delay could occur again, and even if not, history had taught the university that “future state and tuition revenue are not guaranteed,” he said. “As such, we must focus on reducing costs, implementing structural changes and generating additional revenue to position WIU for the future.” Jim LaPrad, media contact for UPI, weighed in on the administration's proposal in an Sept. 21 press release about the mediation request. He said students and the community would be negatively impacted by the administration's latest proposal, which “would result in significantly less pay for more work” from faculty and academic professional support staff. The resulting situation would “cause further challenges in employee and student retention and recruitment,” he said.Both he and Thompson said the proposed reductions in salary would result in loss to sales tax revenue and millions lost in consumer spending. Thompson also expressed concern that the salary cuts, decreased opportunity for salary increases and heavy course loads would lead to a loss in employee morale. This could in turn lead to high student and employee turnover, which would then lead to a decline in the quality of instruction as the university experienced a “brain drain.”“For decades, WIU has maintained salaries close to those at Western's peer (comparison) institutions,” LaPrad wrote, using a quote from a fellow UPI member to underscore the importance of maintaining cost-of-living adjustments in recognition of long-term commitments by faculty and staff. He added, “UPI is willing to make sacrifices like excluding percentage salary increases for two years and significantly reducing the cost of a merit-pay system that is currently in place. UPI proposes workloads that are in-line with its peer institutions and other national comprehensive Masters-granting universities.”The university administration has requested mediation from the third-party mediator Federal Mediation and Conciliation Service, but a meeting date and time have not been set. The other mediator for the area is retiring Oct. 1, making for a heavy load on the remaining mediator, Thompson said.“At this point, the next time that we will meet with the administration will depend on when the mediator’s schedule and our schedules… when all three of those schedules can come together,” he said. UPI is continuing to keep open the meeting dates they had previously agreed to with the administration. “But just because those dates are open for us doesn’t mean those dates are open for the mediator. So it could take awhile before mediation meetings actually occur,” he said.With regard to salary cuts, either party may ask to reopen negotiations over salary increases/decreases in the case certain targets are met. If FY15 revenues are attained, UPI can re-open negotiations, or if there is a five percent decrease from the prior fiscal year, WIU may re-open them, Morgan said.Salaries are also affected by Professional Achievement Awards, which are credits awarded to faculty for work above and beyond instructional duties, such as serving as an adviser to a student group. Once a faculty member has accumulated a certain number of credits, a monetary award is added to their base salary – which also affects pensionable amounts. There is no cap on PAA credits.Currently about $1 million is allocated yearly for faculty salary increases for PAAs, promotions and incentives. University administration proposes moving to “a more sustainable and viable merit-based payment for employees beginning after 10 years of service” coinciding with a four-year evaluation cycle that would provide lump sum payments of $1,530 for Unit A and $900 for Unit B, he said.When asked whether the resulting salary/work situation could “cause further challenges in employee and student retention and recruitment,” Morgan responded that the administration's proposal “will actually assist with student recruitment and retention as tuition and other costs will remain affordable. As we keep costs down and enrollment continues to improve, this can actually have a positive effect on our revenues, and therefore, our employees.”Regarding work loads, Morgan said that UPI is asking for a reduced workload at a greater level of pay, while the administration is asking for the workload to remain as is. He went on to say that if the university agreed to UPI's proposal, it would have to hire about 50 new faculty at a cost of at least $3 million to cover those classes no longer taught by current faculty.“Furthermore, to meet the needs of our students and demands of the region, new academic programs are beginning this fall, and we have plans in place to invest in high-demand programs,” he said.On the issue of whether the cuts and other actions reflect a departure from a long-standing practice of keeping salaries and compensation in line with peer institutions, Morgan said that professors and associate professors at WIU currently make 101-102 percent of the national and state average salary, with the exception of the University of Illinois system. “Even if a three percent reduction is factored in professors and associate professors at WIU will be within 99-100 percent of the national and state average, and our wages will still remain quite competitive,” he said.The public portion of the Western Illinois University Board of Trustees meeting will take place in the Capitol Room of the University Union at 8 a.m. Friday, Sept. 29.

Reach Michelle Langhout by email at mlanghout@mcdonoughvoice.com or find her on Facebook.

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